Crown Resorts looks into ransomware attack

Crown Resorts, the largest Australian casino operator, has suffered a data breach perpetrated by a ransomware group, Reuters reported, citing the company which confirmed the news on Monday. Based on the report, it’s argued that the cybercriminals have been able to gain access to information stored by the operator at GoAnywhere, a file transfer service.

The company released an official statement on its website as well and commented on the breach and the steps that the company would take next in order to remedy the situation.

"We were recently contacted by a ransomware group who claim they have illegally obtained a limited number of Crown files. We are investigating the validity of this claim as a matter of priority," a company spokesperson said.

Crown Resorts has been able to assuage qualms that any customer data has been leaked, and explained that the issue had to do with GoAnywhere more so than the operator itself. The data breach was reportedly global, and it affected many of the parties that had been using the file transfer service – all in all, around 130 companies may have been impacted.

The Crown Resorts spokesperson further noted that it is working with law enforcement and that gaming regulators have been notified. The company will issue relevant updates if and when necessary.

This news comes on the heels of other important developments for Crown Resorts, as the company is continuing with its remediation efforts in several states in Australia, including Victoria, New South Wales, and Western Australia.

The operator is determined to ensure that it is once again deemed suitable to hold licenses at its properties in Crown Melbourne, Crown Perth, and Crown Sydney, and hopes that the independent monitors that are tracking the operator’s progress would rule favorably at the end of the period.

In the meantime, cybersecurity is becoming an ever-more pressing matter in casinos which have been attacked repeatedly by hackers globally. In the United States, individual state regulators have been passing new mandatory cybersecurity rules designed to incentivize licensees to beef up their protection.

Meanwhile, the FBI has warned that ransomware groups have been targeting tribal casinos in the United States, causing them to suffer millions of dollars. In the case of Crown Resorts in Australia, there have been no financial damages reported so far.

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